Atlantic City
by Onriette
Summary: AU. What does Damon know about Elena, really? What was she like before her parent's accident? What happened in Elena's past and why must she revisit it? It takes an impromptu road trip for them to find out. D/E.
1. Taking a Break

_Summary: Completely AU. What does Damon know about Elena, really? What was she like before her parent's accident? What happened in Elena's past and why must she revisit it? It takes an impromptu road trip for them to find out. D/E._

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my plot.**

Atlantic City by Onriette

"_If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late,_

_Could you say goodbye to yesterday?_

_Leave old picture in the past, donate every dime you have?_

_Would you call up friends you never see?_

_Reminisce old memories, would you forgive your enemies?_

_Would you find that one you're dreaming of?_

_Swear up and down to God above, that you finally fall in love,_

_If today was your last day."_

_**If Today Was Your Last Day - Nickelback**_

Chapter 1 – Taking a Break

"_Elena,"_ he said in an annoying sing-song.

"What?" I sighed. _"Have patience, Elena..."_ I reminded myself.

"Are we nearly there yet?" he asked. I could have screamed - it was the 5th time he had asked me that. I gripped the steering wheel, hard. "Y'know it would be helpful if I actually knew where we were going Elena," he continued to whine.

"Damon, have you never heard of surprises?" I said calmly instead.

He groaned, "I _loathe _them."

"Well I'm sorry Damon but you're just going to have to wait and see," I smiled tightly.

"I'm not going to let this drop Elena," he warned whilst turning his attention instead to the car radio, immediately _Thunder Road_ by _Bruce Springsteen_ filled the air. I was already starting to regret inviting Damon on a road trip and the trip had barely even begun! I should have known that being trapped in an enclosed space with Damon Salvatore for a long period of time would not agree with me.

"So, are you still not on speaking terms with Baby Brother?"

"You know the answer to that question Damon," I spoke rigidly.

He rolled his eyes, "So what did Saint Stefan do wrong? I didn't know he was actually physically capable of making a mistake."

I sniffed, "Like you even care, Damon." I wasn't particularly in the mood to talk to anyone about this, least of all Damon. Stefan and I were on a break, we had both agreed it was for the best. I had grown tired of his constant wish to protect me from some unidentified danger 24/7. I couldn't go anywhere without him worrying that someone might try to hurt me. He was also increasingly wary of any friendship I would make with a guy, which I couldn't stand. That included my rocky amity with Damon; it was as if he thought the second he took his eyes off me I would either be kidnapped by some evil monster or fall hopelessly in love with the first man I laid eyes on! The whole thing finally came to boil when I told him I wanted to visit my grandmother's old house:

"_I don't want you taking a trip," he said firmly, crossing his arms._

"_Why not?" I exclaimed - it was my life, I could go if I wanted to._

"_It's not safe, after everything that happened with Katherine I don't want you putting yourself in danger," Stefan frowned at me._

"_Stefan, you don't understand, it important I-I have things I need to sort out there," I said reasoning._

"_What things? I thought you're parents cleaned out the place years ago?" It wasn't that. I couldn't tell him, it was too... personal - even I didn't completely understand my reasons. I just knew I had to go back there. After the near death experiences I had been through it had made me think differently about life, I regretted things that I had done when I was younger, before my parents died. I realised that life could so easily be taken away from you, if I died tomorrow would I be happy with the choices I had made? The bitter feelings and the unspoken words: I didn't want to leave things like that with people. _

"_Just things," I said exasperated. _

"_Elena, please think about this logically," Stefan said sternly._

"_I am thinking logically Stefan!" I exploded. "I'm going whether you like it or not!"_

"_Well I don't know how you're going to get there, 'cos I'm certainly not taking you and your car is totalled!" he said angrily. Shoot, I'd forgotten about that, I'd still not managed to get my car fixed since I had crashed it. _

"_Well maybe I'll just get Damon to take me then! We had a great time on the last road trip we took!" I was being spiteful and impulsive._

"_Elena, don't be ridiculous!"_

"_Don't presume to tell me what I should and shouldn't do! Y'know I'm getting just a little bit sick of this overprotective boyfriend crap Stefan!"_

"_Well then maybe we should take a break then, seeing as you obviously have some issues you need to sort out Elena," Stefan spoke viciously. I chocked, my eyes widening – that I had not expected. _

"_Yeah perhaps we should," I manage to get out before leaving abruptly._

I sighed, "It's... it's between me and Stefan, Damon. But in short, we're on a break."

"Wow," Damon said, raising an eyebrow. "The Stefan and Elena love boat hits rocky waters, what is the world coming to?"

I let out a laugh, "Yeah, we're expecting the apocalypse tomorrow."

"So is this why you invited me on this little trip and not Stefan the Magnificent?" he asked me.

"Well, you're the only one who would take me," I shrugged, "And you're not the worst company in the world Damon," I added with a smirk, remembering the last time he had said those words to me.

"Oh very good, Miss Gilbert," he said with a slight smile, catching my drift. "So how much further is our mystery destination?" he asked restlessly.

I groaned, "Damon?"

"What?"

"Just... sit back and _try_ and enjoy the ride would you?"

He sighed, "Well... I can't promise anything Elena." I had a feeling this was going to be a long journey.

TBC

_A.N: I have been working on this idea in my head for a while, I'm not 100% happy about this chapter but I have edited it that many times I'm just sick to death with it, so I thought it was best to just get on with it and upload it. I know there wasn't a whole lot of stuff happening in this chapter but I needed to... set the scene I guess. I just hope I have done enough to make you all want to read on, I promise you it will get better! Please don't forget to review; I would love to know your opinion, good or bad! :)_


	2. Remember Then?

"_Everything dies baby that's a fact, but maybe everything that dies someday comes back._

_Put your makeup on, fix your hair up pretty and meet me tonight in Atlantic City."_

_**Atlantic City – Bruce Springsteen**_

"_We were both young when I first saw you._

_I close my eyes, the flash back starts..."_

_**Love Story – Taylor Swift**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my plot and my own characters.**

Chapter 2 – Remember Then? 

"_Bye Mum! Bye Dad!" I shouted as I headed out the door. _

"_Elena!" my mother called from the kitchen, "Don't go too far, all right?"_

_My 15 year old self rolled her eyes. "Don't worry Mom; I'm only going to the beach," I reassured her._

"Elena..."_she chided, "Be careful, you're not in Mystic Falls anymore, and I don't want you wandering off and getting lost."_

_I huffed, halfway out the front door, "I _know_ that Mom."_

"_Good, now be back before 7:30!" she reminded, before I shut the door behind me. _

_I had never been this far from home before. That was one of the first things I realised as I walked along the beach with the vast and wide ocean extending before me. I liked it; I liked the freedom it brought. I enjoyed the peace of being on my own: Just me, the soft sand between my toes and the smell of the sea spray on my skin. I sighed; it was just starting to get dark as I sat down a little way off from the pier. The soft sea air tickled my face as I sat with my legs pulled up to my chin; I was my own little island of calm. I couldn't remember the last time I had been completely on my own like this, usually when I was at school I had some gaggle of girls with me, asking my opinions on makeup and boys. If it wasn't that it was Jeremy nagging me to play some kind of computer game with him – he was going through his awkward faze and he didn't have a lot of friends. But this was nice, just looking out at the endless azure sea – the tide was quite far out now. _

"_Pssst!" I nearly jumped out of my skin. I swivelled my head back looking for the cause of the noise. "Hey, over here!" I looked to the dirty industrial grey columns of the pier on my left. There was someone there, under the pier... lurking in the shadows. I gulped, _"Why hadn't I used my common sense and sat further away? Stoners hang out under piers, don't they? Was I going to get mugged by some crazy homeless person?" _I thought, scrambling to my feet and backing away, slowly. _

"_Hey! Hey! Don't go, I'm not gonna hurt you!" A figure emerged from under the pier, it was guy. He couldn't have been more that 18, 19? He didn't _look _like a crazy homeless person either. Actually, he was kind of... _good looking._ That is, in a tortured, emo sort of way. He had messy, jet black hair that fell round his pale face and just teased his shoulders. He was dressed in a crumpled _Iron Maiden _T-shirt and dark, scuffed jeans. I must have looked like a complete idiot, stood staring with my eyes wide. "Sorry if I scared you," he said, looking embarrassed and a little dazed. "It's just, you don't happen to know what the time is, do you?" _

"He wants to know the time? That means, maybe he had been asleep under the pier and oh god, that means he was a stoner!" _I thought. _

_When I didn't reply he went on to say, "I'm meant to be at band practice at 7:30, they'll kill me if I'm late."_

"_It's- it's 7:20" I managed to stutter. _

"_Oh shit!" he swore, gathering a faded leather jacket of the ground. "Thanks a bunch... what's your name?"_

"_E-Elena, Elena... Gilbert." I said slowly. Great, I forgot my own name – now he probably thought _I _was a weirdo._

"_Tell you what Elena, you're 16 - right?"_

"_Right," I said lying almost automatically._

"_As a thank you, I'll get you into my gig tonight; it's at _Rock City_, 9:30."_

"_Oh. Okay." I was a little stunned._

"_No problem, bye!" and with that, he ran off across the beach..._

"Elena, _Elena!"_ A voice spoke, slightly too close to my ear for comfort. I squinted, blinking my eyes against the sunset. Where was I again? As I rubbed my eyes everything started to come back into focus, I was in Damon's car and Damon was peering at me with a box of very delicious smelling donuts. Oh, now I remembered. I had been driving for nearly 7 hours, Damon had long since given up persistent cries of _'Are we nearly there yet?'_ and found new ways to annoy me whilst driving. We had only taken a small break at the rest stop; Damon had decided he simply _couldn't_ go another mile without some form of sugary goodness. "W-what happened?" I said, yawning.

"_You_, Miss Lewis Hamilton, fell asleep," he informed me with much relish. "I think it's safer if I drive now, seeing as you can't even keep your eyes open."

"We'll be there in... 15 minutes," I objected.

Damon clenched his jaw, an obvious sign of his annoyance. "You know..." he said, "I'm pretty sure I've guessed where we're going anyway," He took a bite of donut.

"Oh yeah?" I said, stealing a donut from the box.

"Yep," he said, popping the 'p'.

"Go on then Damon, what's your guess?"

"Ah! Now that I cannot tell you..." he said cryptically.

I rolled my eyes. "Deceit will not get you into the driving seat Damon..."

"Elena! I'm wounded, I'd never lie to you!" he cried indignantly.

"Oh _sure_, but I think your forgetting one tiny detail, Damon," I said amusedly.

"What?" he frowned.

"You're evil."

"Oh!" Damon said smacking his palm to his forehead, "Y'know I completely forgot about that Elena!" he said his voice heavily laced with sarcasm.

"Elena," Damon said after a while, "I thought you said 15 minutes, I really don't want you passing out on me."

I ignored his statement and stared at the road. "Ask me the question Damon."

"What question?" he said baffled.

"You know the question Damon," I said gritting my teeth; it was the one he had been plaguing me with this whole trip.

"Oh," Damon said understanding. "_Elena, _are we nearly there yet?" he said putting enough whininess into his voice to rival that of a 5 year old.

"Yes Damon," I smiled as the bright lights of Atlantic City lit up the horizon of the darkening sky, looming ever closer. I swallowed, _"Oh god, we really are."_

TBC

_A.N: Hey, it's me again! Can I just say thank you so much to everyone who reviewed or added my story to their favourites/alerts, including __**Erinscan **__– you were my first reviewer, you really made my day!_

_So, what do you all think? I know you're all probably wondering who Mr Mysterious Emo is, all will be revealed soon, probably in the next chapter... Also, is anyone from around Nottingham, UK? If so you will know where I stole the name of the Rock City venue from, lol! _

_Again thanks so much for the feedback; it really encourages me, :)_


	3. Nathan

"_People say that I'm a bad influence.  
>I say the world's already fucked, I'm just addin' to it.<br>They say I'm suicidal, teenagers' newest idol.  
>C'mon do as I do, go ahead get mad and do it."<em>

_**Bad Influence - Eminem**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything 'cept my plot and my own characters.**

Chapter 3 – Nathan

I hadn't told Damon the whole truth about this trip. I suppose that was the real reason for all the secrecy about the destination. It wasn't the first time I'd been to Atlantic City; the last time I was here I had been 15. My parents took Jeremy and I to our Grandmothers old house, she hadn't died long ago and they need to clear the place out. I remember complaining a lot, I wanted to stay with my friends. I had been sure that I would be bored out of my brains the whole summer... how wrong had I been. The dream had been rolling around my head since we had arrived, why had I come back here? After all this time, was it to see_ him? _Andwhy of all people had I picked Damon to take me back here? I didn't have any answers right now; all I could do was wait, be patience and see how things would play out.

"Someone has good taste," Damon commented dragging me out of my thoughts as we pulled up outside the small, faded yellow house. I wasn't quite sure if he was serious or not. It was quaint, with its white painted and shuttered windows, with a small porch outside complete with dainty white fencing round it. It was cute and Damon didn't really do cute. There were two terracotta plant pots standing on either side of the porch steps that would have once housed beautiful pansies but were long since forgotten about. I smiled. "Yeah... it's a nice house" I said fondly, disregarding any suspected sarcasm Damon might have been implying. It wouldn't take us long to get settled in, it wasn't a big house and it I knew everything would be pretty much how I had left it 2 years ago.

"So," Damon said as we entered the house, "Are you going to explain all of this now?"

"I- I haven't been here since my parents... passed away," I said vaguely as I looked around cautiously, it was almost eerie how unchanged everything in the house was, the décor was still the same pastel shades my grandmother had been so found of. I ventured into the living room, touching things on the mantel piece, my fingers grazed over the large conch shell sitting in pride of place. My mind flashed back:

"_Elena!" he called out to me. I was laughing, playing in the warm water and too far off into to pay him any attention, the ocean waves were lapping at my waist. My hair playfully skittered around my face, blown by the light summer breeze. I loved the beach, all that sea and sand... I knew it would be one of the places I'd remember most fondly when it was time to leave Atlantic City, that and _him_._

"_Elena!" he called to me again, I turned to see him waving at me from the beach shore. "Come look what I've found!" he shouted to me._

_By the time I had waded back to the soft and cool sand he was waiting, his hands behind his back._

"_What is it?" I asked curiously._

"_It's a present," he answered mysteriously, giving me a playful grin."Now close your eyes."_

_I did as he asked my palms outstretched waiting for my gift. I was contemplating cheating and opening my eyes at the last second until something smooth and hard was suddenly placed in my gasp._

"_You can open your eyes now," he said after a minute, laughing._

_As I opened my eyes I was greeted with the sight of a very large and very beautiful conch shell. It was creamy white and reminded my slightly of the quality of ivory. It gleamed up at me and as I turned it in my hand I saw that it was a blushing pink inside..._

"It was my Grandma's house," I said suddenly to Damon, shaking myself from the memory.

"Why did you come here, why now?" he asked, leaning against the door frame.

I shrugged and said – not entirely truthfully, "I don't know yet, all I do know is that I needed a break from Mystic Falls, everything's so... hectic there."

"Well Elena, time outs are my specialty," he smirked.

I sighed, looking deep into his icy blue eyes, "I really need one, Damon."

Something flickered in his gaze as I said this, a glimmer of something... I couldn't tell what.

A flood of nostalgia filled me as I entered what had been my old room. Posters of my then favourite bands covered the walls from fall to ceiling, I ran my finger down the edged of a slightly faded looking _Bullet for My Valentine_ poster, and I knew lurking underneath was pastel pink wallpaper covered in dainty roses, a sight my 15 year old self couldn't stand. I smirked at the memories it evoked. I scanned the walls and the faces of _Green Day, Guns N' Roses, Nickelback, Black Sabbath _and _Rage Against the Machine _stared back at me. I opened the wardrobe door; it was empty of any clothes but on the inside of the door was carved a little anarchy 'A' symbol. "_Just where I had remembered," _I thought to myself as I traced the symbol with my thumb and my mind took me back to the night it had been first etched...

"_Fuck!" There was a loud thump._

"_Ssh! Nathan, you'll wake my brother," spoke in a shill whisper, poking my head to look through the window and into my untidy bedroom, blinking at the harsh artificial light in comparison to the inky blackness outside._

_He giggled boyishly from where he fallen in a heap on the floor of my room. I followed him, climbing through my bedroom window – I'd say much more stealthily. He looked up at me through his messy locks of pitch black hair and grinned. I loved it when he grinned; it made him look younger, practically my age... if only he was my age. He quickly gathered himself together and lurched drunkenly to a stand, from which he began to look round at my room. I blushed, self consciously as I waited for his approval as he took it all in: the new posters, his CD's I had borrowed littering the desk, his black hoodie thrown over a chair haphazardly. "I see you've got some better wallpaper since last time I visited," he winked at me. I smiled widely, he liked my room!_

"_Yeah..." I sighed, "Well pink wasn't doing it for me so I kinda redecorated," I said coolly, like it was something I did every other week. I was unused to having to try so hard to get approval, the girls that usually buzzed around me like attention seeking little bees ate up every word I said, I was the one setting trends and being told I was 'totally fashionable'. But things were different in Atlantic City; Nathan's friends were a whole different scene, a whole new crowd of people. They listened to _Rock Music_, drank alcohol and went to the kind of parties I had never known existed. It was a very different world, one I was trying very hard to be accepted into. A world in which my eyes had been opened to so much, it was loud, exciting and full of Iron Maiden and Ozzy Osbourne._

_Nathan as pawing through the items on my desk I could tell from his co-ordination he was a little tipsy but not full blown drunk yet – good, Nathan wasn't at his most... sensible when he was drunk. _

"_Listened to this yet?" he asked, holding up _The Misfit's:American Psycho _album._

_I nodded enthusiastically, "I like it, though I think I'm veering more towards Metal right now than Punk," I said trying to sound like I knew tons about music. _

"_Ah," he said in a knowing manor, "So I'm guessing you're into this kinda thing right now?" He held up _Bullet's: The Poison _album. I smiled._

"_You got me," I said. "I love _Tear's Don't Fall." _I took the album from his hand and put it in my CD player; I turn the volume down low as not to wake the rest of my family. When I turn back to Nathan he's peering into my wardrobe. "What are you up to in there?"I asked amusement clear in my voice._

"_I noticed your wardrobe is a little on the plain side, so I added a little addition," he turned, giving me that heart-stoppingly cute grin. He beckoned me over to see. I crouched beside him at the foot of my wardrobe to see engraved into the inside bottom left corner of my door a little Anarchy symbol. I smirked delightedly at him. "Do you like it?" he spoke, tracing his finger over his work. _

"_How did you do it?" I said staring at the rebellious little symbol._

"_With my pen knife," he smiled his gorgeous eyes focusing in on me._

_I turned to face his gazed, someone could get lost in his eyes, they were a beautiful hazel, full of enticement and the promise of adventure. "I love it," I whispered, drawing closer to his stare. His mouth was tantalizingly close to my own, I could feel the heaving in my chest, the urge to close that small gap between us... My hands were on his arms, I was learning forward, my hair was brushing against his cheek, I could feel his warm breath again my skin and before I knew what I was doing my lips had grazed his. It seen like it lasted for less than a fraction of a second and then he was pulling away to look at me with an unreadable expression. _

"Elena! Where are you?" called Damon, snapping me abruptly out of my daydream.

"In here," I called.

"Was this Jeremy's old room?" Damon said as he strolled into my room, noticing the band posters.

"Mine," I answered.

"Really?" he said looking a little surprised at the posters. "I wouldn't have taken you for someone with _actual_ musical taste Elena! I thought you would have been into Lady Gaga, or whoever's in the charts these days," Damon replied with a raised eyebrow.

I simply shrugged. "People change, Damon."

"_And he didn't know the half of it," _I thought.

TBC

_A.N: Just for the record, I have nothing against Lady Gaga! Also I would just like to reassure everyone this is a DELENA fic and this is not going to turn into another love triangle, I think Damon has had enough of those to last a lifetime. Thank you again if you reviewed (__**Kat **__and __**aj81writing, **__you both rock!) or if you added my story to your favourites/alerts, it makes me so happy that you all think it's worth reading!_

_:)_


	4. Memory Lane Part 1

"_I could follow you to the beginning,  
>Just to re-live the start.<br>Maybe then we'll remember to slow down,  
>At all of our favourite parts."<em>

_**All I Wanted – Paramore**_

"_Thought I ran into you down on the street,  
>Then it turned out to only be a dream.<br>I made a point to burn all of the photographs,  
>She went away and then I took a different path.<br>I remember the face, but I can't recall the name,  
>Now I wonder how whatsername has been..."<em>

_**Whatsername – Green Day**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my plot and my own characters nor do I own any rights to songs mentioned.**

Chapter 4 – Memory Lane Part 1

I stared at the luminous digits on my phone: 2:05am. I couldn't get back to sleep. I had been tossing and turning for god knows how long and I just couldn't get back to sleep. I had a theory; maybe it was being back here after so long, my body somehow knew, somehow remembered... Every night my 15 year old self would climb out of this very same bed on the dot of 2:00am and down the trellis outside my bedroom window. I went to meet him, to meet Nathan. I mentally shuddered; I hadn't spoken his name, even to myself for so long. Nathan – grinning, happy-go-lucky Nathan. I laughed, but it was the cold kind of laugh. "_Yeah, Nathan – alcoholic, 18 year old Nathan. The same Nathan who would never look at you as anything but a kid?" _a nasty little voice said in the back of my mind. But that was a long time ago and any feelings I had harboured for Nathan were long gone. _"I need a drink," _I thought absentmindedly before mentally rebuffing myself, I hadn't thought like that for years... it was this place, it was rubbing off on me again. I groaned, getting out of bed, I couldn't just lie here like this. I picked up my clothes from yesterday and shoved them on hurriedly; I decided instead to make myself some hot chocolate – that'd get me straight off to sleep.

When I got to the kitchen I was startled to see a shirtless Damon Salvatore sitting at my Grandma's kitchen table nursing – most surprisingly of all – a mug of hot chocolate. "Couldn't sleep either, huh?" I said smiling ruefully at him whilst trying very hard not to stare at his - regrettably - gorgeous bare chest, there was no doubting Damon worked out and looked good for it. Not that I looked at my boyfriend's brother in _that _way. Wait – was Stefan my boyfriend still? I mean, we were on a break so that means... no, right? Damon looked startled to see me at first but then he forced his features into his trademark smirk.

"The Evil Dead don't sleep, didn't you know?" he said cocking his head to one side.

"Ah," I said, playing along. "Well, you would have had me fooled but the Evil Dead don't drink hot chocolate – you and I seem to use the same sleep remedy." I could see right through Damon Salvatore and he didn't look happy about it. I busied myself with boiling the kettle and avoiding his narrow eyed expression. "So, why can't _you_ sleep?" I asked him as I joined him with my hot chocolate at the table.

He shrugged and looked down at his drink, "Vampires don't really need sleep. It's overrated anyway."

"_Neither do they need hot chocolate,"_ I almost said but I let it be.

"What about you?" he asked quietly.

I gave him the same blasé reply, "Overrated." Well, it looks like we had more in common than our mutual love of chocolaty drinks. We were both terrible liars too. "I've got to get some air," I said, standing abruptly and taking my brown leather jacket from wear it was hanging over the back of my chair. I was full of tense energy; maybe I could go jogging, or just for a walk... No, I knew where I was going, whether I wanted to revisit the place or not my feet would end up there.

"Where are going at this hour?" Damon frowned; I couldn't help noticing that he looked kinda cute when he did that... now I was getting _way _off track. I paused, should I tell him? _Could_ I tell him?

"Just... just an old haunt of mine," I smiled.

Damon raised an eyebrow, "_Elena Gilbert _has an old haunt?"

"W-well are you coming? 'Cos I'm going right now," I said shakily, avoiding his question. I was kinda hoping he wouldn't be interested but then again I was sort of, excited maybe? I had never taken anyone to where I was offering to take Damon.

"Give a guy a minute to get dressed, Elena," he said, standing up and stretching.

"_Don't stare at his muscles; don't stare at his muscles..." _I chanted to myself, looking down.

When Damon said a minute he really did mean a minute, thanks to his vampire speed. "So where are we going exactly?" he asked me.

"Just follow me," I answered, cryptically setting off at a brisk pace down the street.

He groaned, "I'm sensing a theme here, Elena."

"Huh?" I said intelligently.

"You seem to be fond of keeping me in the dark," he expanded.

"Well, what can I say Damon, I love surprising you," I laughed, but my laughter stopped abruptly when I saw the beach stretched out in front of us, _my_ beach. I had so many memories involving this extent of golden sand.

"Is this our destination?" Damon whispered in my ear, I jumped not realising he was so close to me.

"N-no," I stammered, his breath was tickling my neck. "Come on," I said quickly.

It might have looked quite pretty once, it even reminded me of a palace theatre building. But that was before time and age took its toll on it and before someone came along and attacked it with a can of black paint. They were my first thoughts as I stood outside of Rock City for the first time in two years. "_This _is where we're going? You used to hang out _here?" _Damon said astonished and a little bit bemused.

"Uh-huh,"

Damon chuckled, "After you Miss Gilbert."

The first thing that hit me was the sound, I had forgotten how loud it was, and the amplified noise of electric guitar was ringing in my ears. I was surrounded by dark murkiness and crowds of boisterous people jumping franticly, banging their heads to the beat of the music and throwing their fists in the air - things really hadn't changed much in two years. But none of this chaos bothered me in the slightest; somehow the nostalgia of the place was almost comforting to me. I remembered many a gig I had attended here, I remembered watching _him _up on that stage and wishing I was the one he was singing for... I shook my head as if trying to shake such melancholy thoughts from my head and grabbed Damon's arm. "Let's go to the bar," I shouted over the clamour, the band on stage were playing a very energetic cover of _Down With the Sickness _by _Disturbed_ and they were just getting to the part where the lead singer starts singing – sorry, I mean shouting – about being beaten by his mother as a child, well I guess the band was called _Disturbed _for a reason.

"Well, this is... different," Damon commented ordering a drink.

I winced, "I know, right? But I really did used to hang out here when I was younger." I looked around at the pandemonium, "I don't know how I even used to make it past the front door."

"_Yes you do, liar – you were with Nathan," _the snarky voice in my head had returned but I ignored it instead turning my thoughts to how I was going to order a drink, I looked pretty grown up either that or I _suppose _I could ask Damon to compel the bar staff... My train of thought trailed off when I turned to the bar and saw who my bartender was.

"Aimee Ashbury?" I cried and the russet haired woman looked up from the person she had been serving. She stared at me, with kohl covered wide eyes for a couple of seconds before her blank expression transformed into a huge smile.

"Oh my _god, _Elena Gilbert!" she exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "Where the bloody hell have you been!" her English accent coming over strongly.

I smiled warmly at her, "I-I've been, well really busy actually... But how are you?"

"Great, great... well, the usual really," she sighed, pursing her rouged lips. I had met Aimee years ago when I first came to Rock City, she was an ex girlfriend of Nathan's and at first I guess you could say I had been a little... jealous? But we got on like a house on fire and she still would serve me even though she knew I was underage, because I was a friend of Nathan's.

It was then that I remembered Damon, "Aimee, this is my good friend Damon Salvatore," I introduced.

She nodded at him, her smile lighting up her pale face, "Now what can I get you both?"

"G and T," I said robotically and Damon shook his head.

"Of course, I should have known – it's your usual," Aimee laughed. Damon quirked an eyebrow at the new found knowledge that I had a 'usual'. "Y'know you really should stick around after the show, I'm sure Nathan would love to see you again after all this time." Aimee continued, jovially.

I could feel the colour slowly drain from my face, "W-What?"

"Who's Nathan?" Damon chipped in.

Aimee looked at me slightly confused, "Nathan – he's performing tonight, I thought you knew."

"He still performs here?" I said, a little squeakily. I should have known.

"Hello? Can someone _please _enlighten me?" Damon sighed, annoyed.

"He's just a guy I used to know," I muttered to him.

"_Oh,"_ Damon nodded knowingly.

"What?" I asked at his understanding manor.

"Antagonistic ex boyfriend, I get it," he elaborated.

I let out a bark of laughter, _"If only he could have been right, things would be so much simpler," _the voice in my head wished.

"Oh no," I laughed coarsely. "I think you're referring to _Aimee_ and Nathan there, not me - though to be honest, the two of them ended pretty amicably." Damon frowned at my explanation.

"He's just an old friend," I elaborated.

"Hello, everybody!" Aimee shouted over the microphone -sometime in-between drinking my G and T she had hopped up onto the stage- and the crowed went silent. "Next up we've got a band that has been playing here for the best part of two years and yet they _still _haven't got a proper name sorted out. Even so, they don't need a kick ass name for you to know who I'm talking about, so let's give them a hand!"

The crowd roared whilst my stomach did summersaults, and then he stepped out on stage.

TBC

_A.N: Hi! Hope you all like it! Thanks so much for all the support I have been getting, it feels great to know people are behind me!_

_Just to let you all know, I don't think I will be able to post the next chapter as quickly as I have been doing – I have a lot of exams next week that I have been studying for like crazy. I'm really sorry! I will try and get round to it when I can but that probably won't be for at least 2 weeks... sorry again. :(_


	5. Memory Lane Part 2

"_The scars of your love, remind me of us.  
>They keep me thinking that we almost had it all,<br>the scars of your love, they leave me breathless,  
>I can't feeling...<br>We could have had it all.  
>Rolling in the deep,<br>you had my heart inside your hand,  
>and you played it to the beat."<em>

_**Rolling in the Deep - Adele**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my plot and my own characters, nor do I own any rights to songs mentioned.**

Chapter 5 – Memory Lane Part 2

My mouth had gone dry, I swallowed fighting back and urge to look away from the guy on the stage – it was him. He looked just the same as he ever had done, from his dyed black hair and cheeky smile down to his faded converse high tops that he loved so much. I struggled as my laughter got caught in my throat. Déjà vu, much? I had felt exactly the same way two years ago, only then when Nathan had stepped on stage, to me he had been the sexy, mysterious, musician who had caught my eye. Now when I looked at him I just saw Nathan – my best friend, my second brother and the guy who taught me how to break the rules. _"And the guy who broke your heart, the guy who hates you..."_ my inner voice hissed. But I forgot all about my inner monologue when Nathan began playing guitar, a chill shivered down my spine when I heard those opening notes and the familiar but distinctive drum beat...

"_You don't believe in God, I don't believe in luck."_

At that, I felt the hairs rise on my arms. The beat of my heart was loud in my ears and my body was begging me to move, to lose myself in the rapture of the music. "Come on!" I jumped, as suddenly Aimee was by my side. "Aimee!" I cried, laughing as she grabbed my hand pulling me towards the raucous crowd, I let her guide me into the maze of people, most of which were head banging and throwing their hand in the air.

"_They don't believe in us, but I believe we're the enemy."_

I was feeling liberated and just a little impulsive. I wanted to dance, maybe it was because of the alcohol, maybe the company or maybe it was just because I was _here_ again. I seemed to have forgotten how Rock City had always made me feel this way. It was like I was 15 all over again. We joined in with the masses around us, jumping and screaming, throwing our hair back in abandon. I missed this feeling, of being carefree, of letting go. As I swept my hair back, turning my head towards the bar, I locked gaze with a pair of sparkling blue eyes. I blushed as Damon smirked at me, chucking back a glass of _Jack Daniels. _

"_I don't believe in God, I don't believe in luck, I don't believe in you, I just believe in the enemy!"_

I was frozen, until the song came to a dramatic close, breaking our intense stare. As I turned back to face the stage Nathan began to play the next song, a song that seemed eerily familiar...

_The sea breeze whipped through my hair, as I sat absentmindedly drawing pictures in the sand with my finger tips. I was sat with Nathan and the band around a drift wood fire, Nathan was engaged in a very tense game of poker with Luke, the band's drummer and a notorious asshole. _

"_And the last hand goes to me," Luke laughed cockily, collecting the remainder of Nathan's money._

_Nathan cursed under his breath, lighting his tenth cigarette of the evening, (not that I had been counting or anything). He turned to me a pleading look in his eyes – I knew what that look meant._

"_Nathan," I sighed frowning._

"_Please 'Lena, I'm begging you," he pleaded._

"_Nathan I'm not lending you any money," I said apologetically._

"_Please Elena, I know I can win my money back, I can double it! I'll split the winnings 50/50," He bargained. He had perfected that cute puppy dog look and it drove me crazy... I was tempted but I knew what Nathan was like when it came to gambling - he was terrible with money. _

"_Elena if you lend me money _just this once_, I promise you I'll never ask again," he was wearing me down, but only slightly._

_I sighed, "Look, if I sub you for this hand, you have to do something for me, whether you win or lose," I negotiated. _

"_Anything,"_

"_Play me you're new song," I requested, he'd been working on some new material ever since I had arrived but he refused to let anyone hear it. _

_Nathan winced, "Elena... I dunno... the song's not finished yet."_

_I scoffed, "Oh come on, how long have been working on that thing for?"_

"_But Elena!" he whined, "It has to be _perfect."

"_Screw perfection, either you want the money or not," I said firmly._

_He groaned picking up his acoustic guitar, "You drive a hard bargain __Signorina__."_

I knew I recognized the song's slow melody; I smiled as Nathan began to sing the significant words that I had last heard so long ago:

"_Shivers run through the spine, of hope as she cries,"_

"Feel like dancing?" a low voice whispered in my ear, making me jump just a little and breaking my entrancement from the man performing so beautifully on stage. It was Damon; I could feel his hands just barely grazing my hips_._ I swallowed; our eyes met once more – green engaging blue. That unknown something, shining through the azure and sending warm tendrils spreading through my stomach. In that moment we were captured together, it didn't matter who he was or who I was, in that moment he was just a boy and I was just a girl. All that other complicated stuff seemed to fall away – Stefan, Nathan - nothing mattered anymore.

"_The poisoned tears of a life denied, in the raven-black night,"_

He pulled me close and his hands were round my waist in a shot. In any other circumstances I would have been embarrassed for sure; Damon would have most likely laughed at me as I would have battered his hands away. But this time it was different. I sank into his embrace, my hands winding themselves round the back of his neck and my chin coming to rest on his shoulder. I could feel his breath against the back of my neck, sending warm shivers down my spine.

"_Holding hands with, Dark Light. Come shine in her lost heart tonight,"_

As I gazed over the top of Damon's shoulder out into the crowds I noticed Aimee dancing not too far off in the arms of a tall, messy brown haired man who was gazing adoringly at her. I smiled at the obvious couple who looked so incredibly happy together. My eyes wandered to the stage, Nathan's band had hardly changed, though they'd lost Luke as their drummer – can't say I was too devastated about that. Nathan's sister Eve – a fiery brunette with lip piercing and a pixie hair cut – was still going strong on the Bass. I smiled as I saw Logan Finn was still playing Rhythm guitar as well, the Irishman had always been kind to me. I frowned as my thoughts of Logan's silky Irish accent disappeared with the peculiar sense that someone was watching me. I had a horrible feeling I knew exactly who that someone was. Nathan. As I turned my head to the singer I discover to my dismay that – yes – he was looking at me, as my eyes focused on him I saw only black hatred reflected back in his brown eyes. I swallowed nervously and like a coward I looked away, focusing once again to the strangely comforting presence of Damon Salvatore.

"_And blind, all fears that haunt her with your smile... Dark Light,"_

As the lulling tune came to a standstill I broke abruptly away from Damon, "We need to go," I said, suddenly anxious to be gone. I didn't want a confrontation with Nathan.

"Elena..." Damon started looking confused, he thought this was about the dance. He thought it was going to be awkward.

I sighed pushing my hair out of my face – a nervous gesture – I'm just... tired Damon, I- I want to leave, I've had a lovely time with you, honestly."

I smiled in what I hoped was a reassuring manor.

"If you're sure," he frowned.

"I am," I said a little forcefully as I grabbed his hand, setting a pace towards the exit.

"Elena!" Aimee cried, somehow she had managed to pop up in front of me; she seemed quite talented in making sudden entrances.

"Aimee, we were just heading off," I said quickly, smiling a little too widely.

"Oh, you're leaving so soon!" she said surprised, "But you haven't seen Nathan, he's back stage, surely you can say a quick hello?"

I laughed woodenly, "Oh no, we have really, _really_, got to be going, but tell him I said hi," I hurriedly began walking once again, Damon in tow, who had been watching our convocation closely, his eyes darting between us.

"Wait!" Aimee grabbed my arm, "It will literally take you two seconds, I promise!" she smiled, her eyes wide and pleading.

"I- I um, really don't think it's a good idea," I said desperately trying to back away, but I just ended up bumping into Damon.

"Oh come now, _Elena_," Damon said in a silky voice. I looked up, he was smirking deviously; I gave him a look that said 'shut up!' I could have wrung his neck at that moment, I honestly could have. He was playing one of his stupid little 'let's play with Elena's head' games. It was written all over my face how much I _didn't _want to see Nathan, poor Aimee was a little clueless when it came to these things but _Damon_ certainly was not. But I calmly let Aimee escort Damon and I back stage while inside, my mind was screaming in terror: "_Oh god, I can't do this. I'm not ready, I can't face him. It's going to be so embarrassing, he hates me, and he's going to shout. I might cry. Oh god, don't cry. Whatever you do – don't cry." _I swallowed painfully as Aimee pushed open the door that read 'Dressing Room' below which, someone had written in black _Sharpie _'AKA Nathan's Room'. I knew who that someone was; actually I was _there_ when that someone had written it.

"Aimee, is that you? Have you stolen my cigarettes again? You _know_ how much I hate it when you do that," I gulped as Nathan spoke, his back to the door as he slid a _Bullet for My Valentine:_ _Fever Tour_ T-shirt over his pale sculptured torso. "'Cos y'know it's not going to help me quit," he said turning. That's when he saw me. The lopsided grin fell off his face, giving me a cold stare he ground out only one word: _"You."_

_A.N: I'm back! I'm sorry I took so long, but I'm back now! I had the most stressful time of my life with exams, thank goodness they are now over and I can get back to writing. I hope you all like this – kind of - long chapter and I'd like to give a shout out to __**Aria**__ for the very motivating review and '__**Meems' **__my part time Beta for her support, it's down to both of you that I even got this chapter out – thank you soooo much! Please everyone, let me know your opinions they are always much appreciated, lots of love xxx_


	6. Disputes & Dispair

"_I will fight, one more fight,  
>Don't break down in front of me,<br>I will fight, will you fight?  
>I am not the enemy.<br>I will try, one last time,  
>Are you listening to me?<br>I will fight, the last fight,  
>I am not your enemy."<em>

_**The Last Fight – Bullet for My Valentine**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my plot and my own characters.**

Chapter 6 – Disputes & Despair

"What the _fuck_ are you doing here?" Nathan spat. I felt Damon tense beside me.

"Nathan, I-"

"Don't even try to apologise Elena," Nathan cut me off, his face livid. Aimee was stood frozen by the door.

"Um, does anyone want to tell me what's going on?" she said, questioningly looking from Nathan to me.

"Yes Elena, why don't you tell her what you did?" Nathan said venomously. I was confused, what was going on? Tell them _what I did?_ I didn't know I'd even done anything! I'd left without telling anyone, yes. I'd never said goodbye, true... but the way Nathan was talking, it was like I'd killed someone.

Aimee looked at me with a confused look on her face, "What's going on Elena?"

"I, um I..." I was completely speechless.

"Why don't you just spit it out?" Nathan snapped. I could hear Damon clenching his jaw, openly staring daggers at Nathan.

"Well I don't know Nathan, maybe because I have no idea what you're talking about!" I shouted.

Nathan gave a harsh laugh, "God, you really are a selfish cow," He shouldn't have said that. I could see Damon was getting more and more angry, and I was starting to worry for people's safety.

"Nathan!" Aimee exclaimed, "That is uncalled for, she's still your friend! I think everyone needs to chill out here," she said trying to defuse the situation.

But Nathan carried on, "Why did you even bother coming back here and with this guy, who is he, your new boyfriend?" I winced at that statement, this was it.

Damon let out a growl and suddenly he had Nathan by the throat. Aimee screamed. "Damon!" I exclaimed, a little scared. "Don't hurt him!"

"I'm the guy that's going to rip your spleen out through your throat, if you carry on speaking to Elena like that," Damon hissed, ignoring everyone else entirely.

"Jesus, chill out man," Nathan managed to choke out; he was turning a little red.

"Damon!" I cried, "You've made your point!" Damon's penetrating icy eyes bore into my quietly pleading ones. He let go. Nathan fell back spluttering.

"Damon," I said quietly, "I need you to wait outside for me."

"You're crazy if you think I'm leaving you with _this _jerk!" Damon growled, giving Nathan a look of detest.

"_Excuse_ me!" Aimee shouted. Her arms folded across her chest; in all the commotion we'd seemed to have forgotten her. She marched up to Damon her eyes fiery, "I don't care if you are Elena's boyfriend, _you_," she said poking him in the chest with her index finger. "Have no right to come in here and threaten my friend. You need to leave, right now."

"Please," I whispered quietly enough for only him to hear. Damon ignored Aimee, staring straight at me, his eyes emotionless. He could kill everyone in this room with a blink of an eye, something I failed to take into consideration a lot of the time. To me Damon seemed so human. I looked at him, my eyes begging him to see sense and leave before he ended up doing something regretful.

Damon swallowed, getting a hold over himself.

"5 minutes," he inclined reluctantly, stalking out the room.

"Now," Aimee sighed, "Will you _please_ explain what's going on?"

"Aimee... I need you to go too," I said apologetically, what I had to discuss with Nathan was private; even she couldn't be a part of it. She looked once again at the two us and her face saddened.

"I'm sorry for forcing you to do this," she said quietly.

I smiled forgivingly, "You didn't know." And with that she left the room. That left Nathan and I, alone. He stood silently, his arms crossed, looking angrily down at the carpet.

"Nathan, I don't understand... why are you so angry?"

"Oh don't play fucking dumb, Elena!" he shouted. "You know what you did!" he glared at me venomously.

I blinked, holding back what I hoped weren't tears, I hadn't expected this. I couldn't understand his anger, I know we didn't part on the best of terms and after the fight we had... I just couldn't face anyone. But that still didn't explain the palpable hatred I could feel pouring off of him, all of it aimed at me.

"I think you should leave," Nathan ground out. "No one wants you here,"

He gave me a cold, hard look. It was a look that was so unfamiliar on Nathan - my cheeky, lovable best friend. I winced, the sting of hurt numbing my limbs and letting those tears I had been so desperate to hold back, cascade down my face. I chocked back a painful sob before turning tail and fleeing from the room like a wounded animal.

I slammed the door behind me, desperate to run away from it all, only to find myself trapped in Damon's sudden embrace. For a moment I struggled – my instincts told me to run, and keep on running. But it was useless fighting a vampire; I looked up at him in question, my face was stained with tears. He said nothing, only held me, slowly running his fingers through my hair in a comforting manor. After a while and once I had stopped sniffling, he took my hand in his and we walked out of Rock City and away from the man who caused me such turmoil. "Now, when we get back," Damon said softly as we walked back towards my grandmother's house. "You are going to tell me the whole story and after, I'll decide whether or not I'm going to kill him," The look on Damon's face was one not to be argued with.

The wind blowing in from the sea clawed at my damp skin and sore eyes and as we walked I wiped a hand over my cheeks in an attempt to rid myself of the tear tracks. I was a muddle of emotions; everything was all so terribly confusing. Why was Nathan so angry at me? What had happened that I didn't know? But in the greater scheme of things, why had I even come back? Why was Damon here? Was it really just convenience, just because his brother wouldn't? Or was it something more?

I gulped in air, "Nathan - H-he's so angry at me," I said, my voice horse. Damon looked at me and swallowed, his eyes were murderous.

"Don't do something stupid Damon!" I blurted, grabbing his arm as we stopped outside our front door. He looked unmoved. "I mean it! You leave Nathan alone," I continued sharply, staring him in his deep eyes. He frowned, as if he were trying to work out some very tricky maths equation. He slowly brought his hand down to cup the side of my face and I let him, I was frozen in intrigue. He thumb grazed the corner of my lips and I let out a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding. I'm sure my heart must have been hammering like a drum, Damon gave a little smirk and I wondered for a moment whether he might be able to hear it. But suddenly it didn't matter anymore; all rational thought left me, as Damon Salvatore gently placed his lips over mine. At first I stayed still, paralyzed, unsure it was really happening. But as I felt his arms wrap around me, I melted into his grip, letting his lips caress mine. But it was also at that moment that my brain decided to function normally once again. _"Oh my god. You're kissing Damon Salvatore, why are you kissing Damon Salvatore? This is wrong; you should be kissing the _other_ Salvatore brother! But wait, his lips feel so nice...No! You have to stop... oh who cares?" _I gasped as suddenly Damon broke away. "D-Damon," I stuttered in shock.

"Fine," he said cutting me off and breaking our staring match. "That doesn't mean I'm going to be nice to him or anything, he's still an asshole," he muttered, ignoring me and disappearing through the front door. With that, our moment was gone.

TBC

_A.N: Hello you fabulous people! Thank you all so much for bareing with me, I have been seriously overloaded and I know, i'm a terrible person for leaving you with such a cliffhanger... sorry about that. However I have reasons for my absence: Ive been on work experience for a week, then a school trip to the south of france. Also it took me a while to get in contact with my lovely beta, who helped a lot with this chapter, so thats why it's taken me so long to get this out. But there is good news, finally school is over and its summer – yay! So I have tons of time to kill, that means I will be updating faster... probably. _

_Also, I know there are lots and lots of unanswered questions in this story and I hope it's not too confusing, I wrote this chapter in 3 sections and I wasn't sure if it flowed right. But thats just me being a perfectionist – i hope! Please let me know what you thought._

_Lastly I want to say a huge thank you again to my amazing reviewers! You have all inspired me so much! So lots of love goes to: __**Aria, BadBoysAreBest, snbc, 000janedoe000, periwinkle1717 **__and __**greatbritishweather. **__When I saw all the reviews I was quite literally jumping up and down with happiness, you all rock! :D x_


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